Why the plan for Alabama backup Tua Tagovailoa worked

Jalen Hurts had just led three straight touchdown drives, and the game technically hung in the balance.

None of these factors influenced the decision. In fact, nothing would.

Tua Tagovailoa was going in at quarterback Saturday during the first half of the Tide's clash with Fresno State.

"We had a game plan and it's exactly what you saw," Alabama coach Nick Saban said after a 41-10 victory over the Bulldogs. "We were going to put him in the second quarter no matter what the score was. Jalen knew it. Jalen expected it."

So, with 10:35 left in the first half and Alabama leading 21-3, Tagovailoa made his much-anticipated debut. It was a brief cameo -- one that didn't even last three minutes until he was pulled back to the sideline. Working with the first team, Tagovailoa threw two complete passes, helped the Tide pick up a first down, was sacked for an eight-yard loss and watched the Tide punt for the first time Saturday.

"It just happened to not work out when Tua was in there as much as it did with Jalen," center Bradley Bozeman said. "But that's how football goes. There are ups and downs in drives. You can't blame it on Tua coming in as that was the reason it happened. It just happened."

But Saban wasn't thrilled.

"He took a sack when he shouldn't have taken a sack," Saban said. "He didn't have great protection but still had an opportunity to get rid of the ball."

Tagovailoa had plenty of time to revisit that play; He wouldn't be seen again until the fourth quarter. That was part of the plan, too, Saban said. Hurts was always going to be on the field during the early stages of the second half.

"Then we wanted [Tagovailoa] to play to pretty much for the rest of the game," Saban said. "So, it worked out pretty well from what we had planned and what we were able to get done."

In part, that's because Hurts and Alabama's offense added ten more points to the Tide's sizable lead.

Now alongside other reserve players after re-entering with 13:12 left in regulation, Tagovailoa was able to earn a measure of redemption. On Alabama's final possession, which lasted eight plays, the Hawaiian southpaw guided Alabama 75 yards to the end zone. He completed three passes during the drive, including a 16-yard touchdown strike to freshman receiver Henry Ruggs III.

More importantly, he won over Saban with this final stat line: Six completions, nine attempts, 64 pass yards and one touchdown.

"I think he did a lot of good things," the Alabama coach said. "He made some accurate throws and made some good decisions and managed the game fairly well."

It went about as well as Saban could have hoped when he hatched the plan.